The Blue Jackets put to rest a slew of ugly numbers that followed them around like toe fungus, beating the Dallas Stars 4-1 in American Airlines Center.

Which of the following streaks was most unsettling, most in need of being expunged from the Blue Jackets’ stat sheet:

A: No regulation road wins this season (17 games), and none dating back to last March 12 in Carolina (23 games)

B: Eight straight blown leads after being up through two periods

C: No road wins this season for goaltender Steve Mason (0-8-0)

D: All of the above

The correct answer of course is ‘D.’

Mason had a season-high 36 saves, 18 of them in the first period. Rick Nash had his second two-goal game of the season, and John Moore had the first two assists of his NHL career. Antoine Vermette and Fedor Tyutin (empty-net) also scored.

There. That wasn’t so hard, was it?

“We talked about being more positive, more upbeat,” Mason said. “And the guys were able to do that tonight. I have to give a lot of credit to Umby (winger R.J. Umberger); he did a really good job of keeping guys up and positive during that (second) intermission.

 

“We know we can be a team that can close out games. There’s no reason we can’t. This one here is something we can build off now.”

The game was not without a setback for the Blue Jackets, though. Defenseman James Wisniewski suffered a fractured left ankle and will be out indefinitely pending more tests on Friday in Columbus. (See previous Puck-rakers post.)

But a win away from Nationwide Arena — in regulation, after leading through two periods, and in front of the stellar play of Mason — seemed like a major accomplishment for a team that has trouble taking baby steps this season.

“After all the things that have kind of backfired on us the last few weeks here … that was a great 20-man effort,” Blue Jackets coach Scott Arniel said. “From getting an early lead, to building on that lead, and playing very well in the third period, it was a good effort and a good feeling all around.”

 

Mason put it more bluntly: “It was good to hear music in the visitor’s room after the game for a change.”

The Blue Jackets led 1-0 only 3:50 into the game. Rookie Ryan Johansen carried the puck behind the net, feathered a sweet pass across the slot to Nash and celebrated as Nash fired the puck into a yawning net.

The Stars responded — actually, the poured it the freak on for most of the first period — to make it 1-1 at 8:57 of the first. Stars forward Vernon Fiddler, who once tormented the Jackets as a member of the Nashville Predators, fired a rebound home off Mason left leg.

Early in the second, Moore — a brilliant skater — floated sideways from atop the left circle to the high slot and loosed a wrister than Stars goaltender Kari Lehtonen left on the doorstep. Vermette gathered it and crammed it under Lehtonen’s glove for a 2-1 lead.

If Vermette’s goal was big, Nash’s at 6:09 of the third was huge. Make that, Hyoooodge! Aided by a Johansen screen, Nash scored on a nifty wrister from the right circle to make it 3-1. For a club that has treated third period’s like first dates, it was much-needed breathing room.

The Blue Jackets killed back-to-back penalties late in the third (Boll, charging at 14:05, and Nikitin, hooking at 3:46) before Tyutin scored into an empty net with 2.0 remaining.

Side dishes:

– Mason was 0-8-0 on the road this season with an .839 save percentage and 4.80 goals-against average before tonight. He had lost 11 straight on the road (0-9-2) dating back to that March 12 game in Carolina. I remember that game, how it was seasonably warm and how Hurricanes fans were enjoying a tailgate before faceoff. Never occurred to me that it was have such meaning nearly half a season later.

– Here’s rookie John Moore on Mason tonight: “Mase made some huge saves. He outplayed (Stars goaltender Kari) Lehtonen, that’s for sure, and Lehtonen is a heck of a goalie.”

– The Blue Jackets may not need to recall a defenseman in the next couple of days to cover for Wisniewski’s injury. May not, I said. Aaron Johnson is here and able to play. But they’ll almost certainly need to recall somebody from Springfield before they leave next week on a lengthy California road trip.

– C Ryan Johansen was a soft-handed beast tonight. His feed to Nash for the game’s first goal tonight had to make Blue Jackets think a season or two down the road, when the kid grows into his paws and really gets comfortable in the NHL. He has 2-2-4 in his last four games after going a few weeks without a point.

– Here’s Mason, on what the win means: “A lot of people were questioning whether we care or not. I think this definitely shows that everybody in this dressing room is going to do everything we can do to get back into the playoff hunt.”

– The Stars lost captain Brenden Morrow in this one, too. Morrow was struck on his wonkly left knee by a puck and didn’t return after the second period.

– Aaron Portzline

aportzline@dispatch.com

twitter: @aportzline

 

Cincinnati Bengals (6-3) at Baltimore Ravens (5-3)                

If the Ravens wish to hand the ball to Ray Rice(notes) more than the five times they did against Seattle (and we’d heartily recommend that they do so), the Bengals are set up very well in matchups all along their offensive line — except to right tackle and around right end. According to Football Outsiders’ Adjusted Line Yards metric (which separates the performance of a running back from the back’s like to better assess line performance),  the Ravens are the ninth-best team around right end, with 4.43 ALY per carry, while the Bengals rank 21at in Defensive Adjusted Line Yards, allowing 3.82 yards per carry. The Ravens rush around right end just seven percent of the time this season, so they may want to investigate that.

What the Bengals might want to investigate is something that actually serves them well in this game — per FO’s DVOA metric, they have the NFL’s 10^th-best offense on the road, and the 26^th-best at home. Good deal for a team facing a Ravens defense that ranks first in home defensive DVOA.

Carolina Panthers (2-7) at Detroit Lions (6-3)

Both of these teams are looking to overcome pretty horrible (and atypical) Week 10  performances by their starting quarterbacks. Through the first half of the season (Weeks 1-9), the Panthers ranked ninth in Offensive Passing DVOA (after ranking 31^st at the end of the 2010 season). But Cam Newton’s(notes) performance against the Tennessee Titans was singularly unimpressive — he put up a -72.2% Passing DVOA performance, and Matt Stafford finished the Week 10 loss to the Chicago Bears with a -60.3% Passing DVOA after leading the Lions to the 13^th best metric in the first half of the season.

(Believe it or not, Newton’s wasn’t the worst Passing DVOA performance of Week 10 — that award would go to the combined efforts of the Indianapolis Colts, who put up a -93.4% number. That’s roughly the equivalent of having two Kyle Bollers paying for you at once.)

Jacksonville Jaguars (3-6) at Cleveland Browns (3-6)

Don’t look for too many exciting passing performances in this game. Among all qualifying quarterbacks (quarterbacks who have throws 75 passes or more), Jaguars rookie Blaine Gabbert(notes) has the worst DYAR (FO’s cumulative efficiency metric) in the NFL. Gabbert is also worst among qualifier in DVOA, FO’s per-play efficiency metric. Cleveland quarterback Colt McCoy(notes) ranks 26^th in DYAR and 29^th in DVOA. And both of these teams are in the top 10 when it comes to pass defense DVOA — the Jags’ underrated defense ranks sixth, and the Browns rank ninth. The Browns provide a better avenue through their run defense, which ranks 28^th. But Jacksonville’s run defense ranks fourth, so the Browns will have to find a way to beat the numbers.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-5) at Green Bay Packers (9-0)

No doubt the Buccaneers defensive staff has been crushing game tape, trying to find a way to stop Aaron Rodgers(notes). The best way is to get to him enough times to take him down, but if you blitz Rodgers, you’d best catch him, because he’s generally even better when he’s hurried. And the Bucs rank 30^th in Defensive Adjusted Sack Rate, so that’s probably out, unless they can get Albert Haynesworth(notes) to sit on Rodgers for a while.

How about in different formations? Well, how about Rodgers when he’s got two wide receivers? Uh, whoops. He’s got a perfect 158.3 passer rating in such formations. Three receivers? Nope. A 119.7 passer rating, which also leads the league. Four or more receivers? 116.2, which also leads the league. This is getting scary. Put all of that up against a Bucs defense that has been on the wrong side of horrible much of the year (they rank 31^st in DVOA against the pass), and this could get ugly very quickly. Joe Buck may have us all napping by the end of the first quarter.

Dallas Cowboys (5-4) at Washington Redskins (3-6)

Though Tony Romo(notes) has been spinning the ball very well of late, he’s also getting a lot of help from his receivers. Romo and Buffalo Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick(notes) are the only qualifying quarterbacks who have more than half of their completion yards on yards after catch. The Cowboys rank fourth in FO’s Offensive Adjusted Sack Rate metric (sacks per pass attempt adjusted for down, distance, and opponent), which is also a testament to Romo’s ability to get the ball out quickly. That will be a key part of the game plan against a Redskins defense that ranks first in Defensive Adjusted Sack Rate.

Washington’s offense has suffered a serious downward trend this season, dropping from 15^th in DVOA in Week 1 to 30^th after Week 10. That’s not good against a Dallas defense that has risen from 12^th to 5^th in Defensive DVOA since the season began.

Buffalo Bills (5-4) at Miami Dolphins (2-7)

So, aside from Ryan Fitzpatrick’s large YAC percentage, what else is going on with the Bills’ passing offense? If it seems as if that part of their game has regressed, you’re not mistaken. In their last two games, Buffalo has put up Passing DVOA metrics of -12.2% and -58.2%. Are the Dolphins set up to take advantage? Decidedly so. Miami’s been playing much better of late, and their pass defense is a big part of that — ranked 29^th in defensive Weeks 1-9, that defense put up a much better performance last Sunday and started off the second half of the season ranked seventh.

Oakland Raiders (5-4) at Minnesota Vikings (2-7)

The myth of the Raiders going deep with their receivers? Well, that’s not to much the case this season. Darrius Heyward-Bey(notes) leads the Raiders among qualifying receivers with a 16.07 yards per reception average, good for 15^th in the NFL (Steve Smith of the Panthers is highest at 18.65). Rookie Denarius Moore(notes) leads the team with five receptions of 25 yards or more, which is a little down the list as well.

Related: Ryan Fitzpatrick, Ray Rice, , Darrius Heyward-Bey, Aaron Rodgers, Tony Romo, Denarius Moore, Albert Haynesworth, Blaine Gabbert, Cam Newton, Colt McCoy, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, Oakland Raiders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tennessee Titans, Washington Redskins, Smarter Stats

CINCINNATI – Adam “Pacman” Jones says his eagerness to play Sunday in Tennessee has nothing to do with what happened during his stormy three years as a Titan.

After a year away because of a neck injury, the Cincinnati Bengals cornerback and punt returner just wants to get on the field for an entire game.

The Bengals (5-2) will visit the place where Jones’ career started with such great promise and crashed so fast. He was the sixth overall pick in 2005 and earned a starting job as a rookie, but let his career quickly unravel with a series of arrests and suspensions.

Now 28, Jones has revived his career with the Bengals, who signed him last season after he’d been out of football for a year. The game on Sunday is a chance to show Tennessee (4-3) that he’s still around.

“I know people are like, ‘He can’t wait to get back down there and show off’ or this and that,” Jones said. “But I’ve came to past with Tennessee. I have no regrets. I’m happy here in Cincinnati. The city of Cincinnati is what I’m worried about. I could care less about Tennessee.”

His immediate concern is a sore hamstring that could keep him out of the game.

Jones signed a two-year deal with Cincinnati last year, getting a chance to revive his career. He injured a neck disc in October and needed surgery. He had another procedure over the summer, pushing back his return.

Jones finally got back on the field last Sunday in Seattle. The first time he touched the ball, he returned a punt 63 yards to set up a touchdown in a 34-12 win. He grabbed the right hamstring as he ran out of bounds on the return, then spent the rest of the game on the sideline.

He said the hamstring was at about 60 percent strength by midweek, leaving him questionable for the game. He worked out on Wednesday and Thursday but didn’t participate in practice.

“I’m not going to do anything to jeopardize myself, first of all, or what we’re trying to do as a team,” Jones said. “If it’s better for me to sit out this week and wait till next week to play for myself and my team, that’s what I would do.

“Like I said, we’ll make decisions accordingly. Right now, I don’t know.”

The Bengals will try to extend their winning streak to five games, something they haven’t done since their Super Bowl season of 1988. After that comes a stretch that will define their season — games against Pittsburgh, at Baltimore, against Cleveland and in Pittsburgh.

Jones wants to be part of the second-half push. He was encouraged to make an impact the first time he touched the ball, then extremely discouraged that he’d get only the one play because he got hurt.

“So my mind is racing every which-a-way now,” he said. “But these guys are doing good to keep me positive and keep my spirits up, so just take it one day at a time and let it play itself out.”

Jones said it took him a couple of years to come to peace with what happened in Tennessee, where he was suspended by the team for one game in 2006 and by the NFL for the entire 2007 season because of his arrests. He was traded to Dallas in 2008 and suspended again. Jones was out of football in 2009.

He’s had one arrest while with the Bengals. He pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest for a disturbance at a downtown bar last July. He’s scheduled for trial on Nov. 17.

Jones is one of eight NFL players subject to discipline from the league for incidents that occurred during the lockout this summer. Teammate Cedric Benson missed the win in Seattle while serving a one-game suspension for his offseason arrest in Texas.

“My experience with Adam has been excellent,” coach Marvin Lewis said. “I’m very close with (former Titans coach) Jeff Fisher, really talked with Jeff a lot about Adam before when Adam was still a Titan and once we decided to bring him here. I think he’s grown up a lot. I feel he knows he’s made a lot of error in judgment. It’s unfortunate that a guy could go into college and spend three years on a college campus and not learn some of the things really they should learn.

“But hopefully he’s learned those lessons now. He’s been a great teammate to the guys here, very supportive of everyone.”

Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan, who moved into a starting role during Jones’ season-long suspension in 2007, is looking forward to seeing him again.

“You always hope he plays,” Finnegan said. “You never want a guy to be hurt, and he’s just so electrifying in the punt return, what he did there. I want to see him out there. I want to be able to talk to him, see how he’s doing.”

___

AP Sports Writer Teresa M. Walker in Nashville contributed to this report.

AP Photo/Al Behrman, File

In this July 30, 2011 file photo, Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Adam Jones is shown at NFL football training camp in Georgetown, Ky. He expects to play in Tennessee _ the place where his career started _ despite a sore hamstring.

Adam “Pacman” Jones says his eagerness to play Sunday in Tennessee has nothing to do with what happened during his stormy three years as a Titan.
After a year away because of a neck injury, the Cincinnati Bengals cornerback and punt returner just wants to get on the field for an entire game.
The Bengals (5-2) will visit the place where Jones’ career started with such great promise and crashed so fast. He was the sixth overall pick in 2005 and earned a starting job as a rookie, but let his career quickly unravel with a series of arrests and suspensions.
Now 28, Jones has revived his career with the Bengals, who signed him last season after he’d been out of football for a year. The game on Sunday is a chance to show Tennessee (4-3) that he’s still around.
“I know people are like, ‘He can’t wait to get back down there and show off’ or this and that,” Jones said. “But I’ve came to past with Tennessee. I have no regrets. I’m happy here in Cincinnati. The city of Cincinnati is what I’m worried about. I could care less about Tennessee.”
His immediate concern is a sore hamstring that could keep him out of the game.
Jones signed a two-year deal with Cincinnati last year, getting a chance to revive his career. He injured a neck disc in October and needed surgery. He had another procedure over the summer, pushing back his return.
Jones finally got back on the field last Sunday in Seattle. The first time he touched the ball, he returned a punt 63 yards to set up a touchdown in a 34-12 win. He grabbed the right hamstring as he ran out of bounds on the return, then spent the rest of the game on the sideline.
He said the hamstring was at about 60 percent strength by midweek, leaving him questionable for the game. He worked out on Wednesday and Thursday but didn’t participate in practice.
“I’m not going to do anything to jeopardize myself, first of all, or what we’re trying to do as a team,” Jones said. “If it’s better for me to sit out this week and wait till next week to play for myself and my team, that’s what I would do.
“Like I said, we’ll make decisions accordingly. Right now, I don’t know.”
The Bengals will try to extend their winning streak to five games, something they haven’t done since their Super Bowl season of 1988. After that comes a stretch that will define their season — games against Pittsburgh, at Baltimore, against Cleveland and in Pittsburgh.
Jones wants to be part of the second-half push. He was encouraged to make an impact the first time he touched the ball, then extremely discouraged that he’d get only the one play because he got hurt.
“So my mind is racing every which-a-way now,” he said. “But these guys are doing good to keep me positive and keep my spirits up, so just take it one day at a time and let it play itself out.”
Jones said it took him a couple of years to come to peace with what happened in Tennessee, where he was suspended by the team for one game in 2006 and by the NFL for the entire 2007 season because of his arrests. He was traded to Dallas in 2008 and suspended again. Jones was out of football in 2009.
He’s had one arrest while with the Bengals. He pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest for a disturbance at a downtown bar last July. He’s scheduled for trial on Nov. 17.
Jones is one of eight NFL players subject to discipline from the league for incidents that occurred during the lockout this summer. Teammate Cedric Benson missed the win in Seattle while serving a one-game suspension for his offseason arrest in Texas.
“My experience with Adam has been excellent,” coach Marvin Lewis said. “I’m very close with (former Titans coach) Jeff Fisher, really talked with Jeff a lot about Adam before when Adam was still a Titan and once we decided to bring him here. I think he’s grown up a lot. I feel he knows he’s made a lot of error in judgment. It’s unfortunate that a guy could go into college and spend three years on a college campus and not learn some of the things really they should learn.
“But hopefully he’s learned those lessons now. He’s been a great teammate to the guys here, very supportive of everyone.”
Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan, who moved into a starting role during Jones’ season-long suspension in 2007, is looking forward to seeing him again.
“You always hope he plays,” Finnegan said. “You never want a guy to be hurt, and he’s just so electrifying in the punt return, what he did there. I want to see him out there. I want to be able to talk to him, see how he’s doing.”
___
AP Sports Writer Teresa M. Walker in Nashville contributed to this report.

The Bengals (5-2) will visit the place where Jones’ career started with such great promise and crashed so fast. He was the sixth overall pick in 2005 and earned a starting job as a rookie, but let his career quickly unravel with a series of arrests and suspensions.

Now 28, Jones has revived his career with the Bengals, who signed him last season after he’d been out of football for a year. The game on Sunday is a chance to show Tennessee (4-3) that he’s still around.

“I know people are like, ‘He can’t wait to get back down there and show off’ or this and that,” Jones said. “But I’ve came to past with Tennessee. I have no regrets. I’m happy here in Cincinnati. The city of Cincinnati is what I’m worried about. I could care less about Tennessee.”

His immediate concern is a sore hamstring that could keep him out of the game.

Jones signed a two-year deal with Cincinnati last year, getting a chance to revive his career. He injured a neck disc in October and needed surgery. He had another procedure over the summer, pushing back his return.

Jones finally got back on the field last Sunday in Seattle. The first time he touched the ball, he returned a punt 63 yards to set up a touchdown in a 34-12 win. He grabbed the right hamstring as he ran out of bounds on the return, then spent the rest of the game on the sideline.

He said the hamstring was at about 60 percent strength by midweek, leaving him questionable for the game. He worked out on Wednesday and Thursday but didn’t participate in practice.

“I’m not going to do anything to jeopardize myself, first of all, or what we’re trying to do as a team,” Jones said. “If it’s better for me to sit out this week and wait till next week to play for myself and my team, that’s what I would do.

“Like I said, we’ll make decisions accordingly. Right now, I don’t know.”

The Bengals will try to extend their winning streak to five games, something they haven’t done since their Super Bowl season of 1988. After that comes a stretch that will define their season — games against Pittsburgh, at Baltimore, against Cleveland and in Pittsburgh.

Jones wants to be part of the second-half push. He was encouraged to make an impact the first time he touched the ball, then extremely discouraged that he’d get only the one play because he got hurt.

“So my mind is racing every which-a-way now,” he said. “But these guys are doing good to keep me positive and keep my spirits up, so just take it one day at a time and let it play itself out.”

Jones said it took him a couple of years to come to peace with what happened in Tennessee, where he was suspended by the team for one game in 2006 and by the NFL for the entire 2007 season because of his arrests. He was traded to Dallas in 2008 and suspended again. Jones was out of football in 2009.

He’s had one arrest while with the Bengals. He pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest for a disturbance at a downtown bar last July. He’s scheduled for trial on Nov. 17.

Jones is one of eight NFL players subject to discipline from the league for incidents that occurred during the lockout this summer. Teammate Cedric Benson missed the win in Seattle while serving a one-game suspension for his offseason arrest in Texas.

“My experience with Adam has been excellent,” coach Marvin Lewis said. “I’m very close with (former Titans coach) Jeff Fisher, really talked with Jeff a lot about Adam before when Adam was still a Titan and once we decided to bring him here. I think he’s grown up a lot. I feel he knows he’s made a lot of error in judgment. It’s unfortunate that a guy could go into college and spend three years on a college campus and not learn some of the things really they should learn.

“But hopefully he’s learned those lessons now. He’s been a great teammate to the guys here, very supportive of everyone.”

Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan, who moved into a starting role during Jones’ season-long suspension in 2007, is looking forward to seeing him again.

“You always hope he plays,” Finnegan said. “You never want a guy to be hurt, and he’s just so electrifying in the punt return, what he did there. I want to see him out there. I want to be able to talk to him, see how he’s doing.”

___

AP Sports Writer Teresa M. Walker in Nashville contributed to this report.

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